Find a licensed electrician
How to find, check and hire a licensed electrician: state license rules, public-record listings and what to ask before you hire.
Electrical work is the trade where a license matters most: bad wiring is a fire risk and an insurance problem long after the electrician has left. Typical jobs are adding outlets and circuits, panel upgrades, lighting, EV chargers, and fixing breakers that keep tripping. Almost anything beyond swapping a light fixture needs a licensed electrician, and many jobs need a permit and an inspection.
Where do you need an electrician?
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
What do electricians do?
- Panel and service upgrades
- New outlets and circuits
- Lighting installs and rewiring
- EV charger installation
- Troubleshooting tripping breakers
- Smoke and CO detector wiring
- Old wiring replacement (knob-and-tube, cloth)
- Generator and transfer switch hookups
How do you hire a good electrician?
- Check the license on the state or city license search, and ask whether the person doing the work is licensed or working under someone's license.
- Ask whether the job needs a permit and an inspection, and who files it. A licensed electrician files the permit.
- Ask for proof of insurance. Electrical mistakes show up later, so you want the company insured.
- For panel upgrades, ask whether the utility needs to be scheduled to cut and restore power, and who arranges it.
- Get a written estimate that lists the circuits, fixtures and materials.
The US Census Bureau counts about 82,499 electrical contractors with employees nationwide (County Business Patterns 2023). We list the ones we can confirm in public license records, starting with New York City.
Questions people ask
Do I need a licensed electrician to add an outlet?
In most places, yes. Homeowners can sometimes do minor work in a single-family home they own, but cities like New York require a licensed electrician for nearly all electrical work. A licensed pro also files any permit the job needs.
How do I check an electrician's license?
Search the license number on the licensing agency's site. Electricians are licensed by the state in many places and by the city in others; New York City's Department of Buildings licenses master electricians there.
What's the most common reason breakers keep tripping?
An overloaded circuit, such as space heaters, air conditioners and kitchen appliances on one line. It can also be a failing breaker or a wiring fault. Have an electrician find the cause instead of swapping in a bigger breaker.
Does an EV charger need a permit?
A Level 2 charger needs a new 240-volt circuit, which almost always means an electrical permit and possibly a panel upgrade. Ask the electrician to check your panel's capacity first.